INDIANS AWAY FROM INDIA

The strangest thing and yet true is the fact that Indians living abroad show more interest and value in our art form than the Indians living here.  Not only Indians but also foreigners have shown great reverence to this divine and beautiful art form.
  Given this,  how is it different to teach people who have been born and brought up outside India?
What is the strategy we would follow to teach foreign students?
These are questions which arise all the time in the minds of the young teachers.
First of all,  let's take Indian children born and brought up outside India
-They are more exposed to the culture of the place they have been brought up in

-They are aware and have knowledge of our Indian culture to some extent due to family influence, but it is difficult for them to relate to it

-They may want to be part of Indian get-togethers and functions but can only relate to similar children with the same background

-They do find children brought up in India a little strange and conventional.

Given this background, the first thing the teacher should do is to make the child believe in our culture
by talking about stories and values of our system.
Dance is something which is deeply rooted in our culture and it is important to give them an insight into our culture and values.
Small gestures and acts which we take it for granted with children brought up here, will have to be taught. like, bowing to the teacher before and after the class... This is something that our gurus have taught us and it comes naturally to children here as they are exposed to it constantly.

Wearing Indian clothes to classes is again an important part of connecting to our culture.
Many of them wear stretch pants and short tops, which is, of course, comfortable, but don't fit into our culture.

The class is like a temple where children come not only to learn the art form but also to feel integrated. Being part of the school is like being in a big joint family.

Basically, all our dance forms are created thinking in " an Indian way".  for example there are padams which talk about the nosey neighbours, or interfering in-laws, which the children can hardly understand. So as teachers, we need to explain the concept and make them realise the difference in perception.

These are just a few pointers which will help us understand children with different backgrounds and not labelling them as snobbish, which happens many a time and the children are left demotivated and disillusioned after their stint in India.

MAKING OF PAATI SONNA KATHAIGAL

The 25th year celebration of Tharanginee school was held on 22nd Aug and to commemorate the occasion I produced "Paati Sonna Kathaigal" ... Grandma Stories.
The thought process had actually started a couple of years back. It all started one day as I was clearing some old photographs and I came across an old snap of my grandmom . It kindled a lot of memories and I went down my  memory lane.
 Vacation time was fun time for us. We used to spend our entire holidays with my grandmom and cousins.. Dinner time was story time.. It was always filled with stories from mythology, pancha thantra or stories of my granny's childhood days. We used to sit in awed silence as my granny used to narrate with lot of metaphors,  smilies and funny ancedotes. There used to be excited laughter and giggles when something funny was narrated.  It always used end on a happy note thereby giving immense satisfaction that good people will get rewarded and bad ones punished. What a bliss it was to believe in such simple justifications!!! We were in a stage were we believed that our lives will be a garden of flowers !! Alas the reality had not yet dawned on us ..
The child hood dreams and aspirations were always nutured and  nourished by my grandmom who was ready with here new stock of stories every year. Year after year there were stories narrated with passion and we used to be transported to the world of animals, birds , kings , and faries. When I look back I feel that what I am today is the reflection of so many stories heard and stored in my memory and thanks to my grandmom.
Today's children  glued to the TV and computer saddened me and I decided to recreate the story telling for the children, wanting to give them something of what I enjoyed . . It was a slow process of searching and seeking internally, wanting to reach out to the children. It was like a drawing coming to life .. first the outline and then slowly the details.... the final sketch took something like six months and the final product gave me immense pleasure and satisfaction.

This was the birth of PAATI SONNA KATHAIGAL...

METAPHORS AND SIMILES PART III

Another aspect of Bharatha Natyam is the use of comparative devices that are not present in the lyrics. For example, in the following piece, the line smara sundaranguni seri evaro asks: “who is equal to my beautiful lord?” The word beautiful is available for any interpretation by the dancer: As beautiful as manmatha, eyes like the lotus, lips like coral, hair like the bees, brows like a bow, teeth like a string of pearls, skin the colour of tender mango leaves, chest as broad as a mountain, waist like a lion, gait like an elephant, etc. However, it is important not to lose the essence of the lyrics and choose comparisons that are completely unrelated to the poetry.

Similarly, in the javali marulu minchera, the words “parama sundara kara” translate as “oh the beautiful one”, but can be interpreted as the following:

            Oh my beautiful lord.

            Your lotus eyes are meant to look at me.

            Your coral lips are meant to kiss me.

            Your broad chest is my abode and I will adorn you like a creeper.

            Your long limbs are meant to embrace my beautiful body.

In the following number from Kumara Sambhavam, the lyrics do not provide any specific comparative description, and are thus:

            Paani peedana vidhdheranannintharam, shaila raja duhi duhir haram prati

            Bhava sadhva sa pari grihathu aa boothkama dhohatha sugam manoharam

            After the wedding of Shiva to Parvathi, the daughter of the mountain king, Shiva looks at his new bride, who is coy and full of love, and derives pleasure from observing her shyness. Here, the lyrics do not explicitly say anything about beauty, but I have interpreted them to show Shiva looking at Parvathi, and describing her beauty using his own accessories. Doing this immediately establishes the scene of Shiva and Parvathi in the bridal chamber.

When the situation of the poetry warrants, the dancer may employ relevant metaphors and similes to more creatively describe the scene.

 In the Kamas varnam of the Tanjore quarter, the line “avar samanya durai alladi sakhi” indicates a heroine telling her friend that Shiva, her lord, is not someone ordinary, but a great being. Greatness is here illustrated by incomparability:

The glowing sun is ashamed looking at Shiva’s glowing body, his

majestic walk puts an elephant’s majesty to shame, his small waist embarrasses the slender lion, the mountain bends its head looking at

Shiva’s broad chest. 

                                                                                                       TO BE CONTINUED..........

METAPHORS AND SIMILES IN BHARATHANATYAM PART II

Beauty is a favourite topic of the poets of yore. In countless pieces, the beauty of the face is described in numerous ways. The face is compared to the moon, a lotus flower, a mirror, the sun, etc. When one compares the face to the moon, what exactly does one mean? One might mean that the face is as round as the moon, as fair as the moon, as cool as the moon, or as romantic as the moon. One might mean that the face that is hidden by tresses of hair is like the moon that plays amongst the clouds. Or that the face that evokes a smile in another is like the moon, which touches the lilies and makes them bloom.

The dancer can make many interpretations describing the qualities of the moon within the framework of the given comparison. In the piece Yaro Ivar Yaro, Rama speculates about the identity of the beautiful girl that he sees, and in the charanam, he describes her faces as “Chandra bimba mukha.” In the first line, the lyrics are “yaaro ivar yaaro”, which the dancer can interpret in any way. In the charanam, however, the lyrics “Chandra bimba mukha” encourage the dancer to elaborate within the framework of the comparison of her face to the moon.

It is obvious that in this open-ended line, the dancer can elaborate on the comparison using many different attributes of the moon, but the dancer must use artistic discretion when doing this so as not to show so many comparisons that the essence of the lyrics is lost. Similarly, when choosing the phrase on which to elaborate ,  the dancer to be careful in choosing the word which is relevant to the context and evokes the proper emotional response from the audience.

            Another piece that can illuminate the importance of word selection contains the following lyrics: “Varaji mukhi neevu vachae vella anukonni, korrikatho raja gopala swamy nee.” In this line, the dancer is a sakhi, who takes the message of love to the lord and tells him: “that lotus-faced girl is waiting for you full of love, oh Raja Gopala Swamy.” Here, if one chose to elaborate on the words “Rajagopalaswamy”, it would be irrelevant to the mood of the song, as this simply the lord’s name. One has to read the lyrics fully to find the basic mood, or sthayi bhava, and then interpret accordingly. Here, the sthayi is the sakhi describing her friend waiting, so the words “varija mukhi neevu” is a more appropriate choice for elaboration.

In this interpretation, the heroine’s state is compared to the lotus, although the lyrics say “lotus-faced”, indicating that there are different ways that one may interpret the poet’s lyrical intention. Additionally, taking the poetry too literally is also a danger that the dancer must avoid. For example, in the piece Chinnan Chiru Killiyae, Bharathiyar uses many similes to show a mother’s love for her child. If these descriptions are acted out literally with no nuance, the piece will become immature and childish.

                                                                                            To be continued.........

METAPHORS AND SIMILES IN BHARATHANATYAM

PART I

Metaphors and similes have been created by people as a means to relate to the world around them; in other words, as instruments to bring some familiarity to the incomprehensible. It is extremely difficult to describe sublime or profound emotions in direct terms, as these deeply subjective and personal experiences (such as love, isolation, anger, or despair) are beyond the bounds of language. As a result, it is common to employ modes of figurative language in order to illuminate these otherwise elusive emotions. Dance and music are very personal experiences of an artist, and so he or she may use metaphor and simile to communicate feeling to the audience.

             Metaphors and similes are not technically the same, but instead of examining the differences, the terms and their interpretations can be used interchangeably in Bharatha Natyam. There are two aspects of metaphor and simile in dance: one is the use of these devices in the lyrics written by the poet, and the other is their use in places where the lyrics do not explicitly state them.  In the first instance, the lyrics provide the dancer with a base to expand, but confines him or her to the given lyrics, restricting the interpretation to the given metaphor or simile. In the second instance, the open-ended quality due to the absence of these devices in the lyrics, leaves the interpretation entirely to the dancer’s imagination. However, the lack of restriction can cause the interpretation to become tangential or unrelated to the artist’s intention or lyrical nuance. It is the dancer’s task to make the comparison both interesting and relevant.

                                                                                             

                                                                                                  To be continued....................

Teacher's Pride

Krishna Leela
On dec 14th my students performed krishna leela, a dance production conceived by Smt.Verushka Pather from South Africa . It was a colloborative effort between verushka and my school.
It was the first time I sat in the audience and watched my own students perform and the kind of emotions I went through as I watched them perform was something only a teacher can relate to.
When I watched my students as they entered the stage, I felt a rush of blood and I sat up just to be sure I dont miss anything.  Then they started dancing to the music.  I have watched their rehearsals many times, corrected them and danced along with them to fill in the gaps.  But what was novel during the show was that I was able to see myself in each one of my disciple.  It was like one piece of me was embedded in all of them in different propotions.  Some had taken my movement, some my attitude and others my abhinaya... It was magic to see my disciples perform and felt like a part of me was on stage along with them..

Krishna Leela at kalakshetra

Being a teacher has its own rewards.. ...the students not only learn the art form but they reflect  our personalities also... Infact teachers spend more time with their students than with their own children.... Till such time they are under your, wings they are just reflecting your thoughts .. once they are on their own, they start growing and developing an independent personality in dancing... and that is what makes it more beautiful....
As a teacher I have seen many of my disciples grow and flourish and it is always with happiness and pride I watch them ..... Like a gardener taking pride in the flowers that have blossomed with his careful nuturing....















.....................................................................
Shobana Bhalchandra
Tharanginee School of Bharata Natyam
Adyar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
+91 94440 37197
theshoba@gmail.com, shobana@tharanginee.com
www.tharanginee.com

View videos of concerts, workshops in youtube - shobanaa tharanginee

STAMINA FOR DANCERS ON STAGE

Why do dancers feel tired and breathless on stage much more than in rehearsals? Why is it that the stamina levels drop down to almost fifty percent in a performance although a lot of practice has gone into it? I spoke to some other dancers and understood that they were also facing the same issue.

I started analysing  to resolve this problem that I and many other dancers are facing…. Finally I worked out something which in my opinion will help the dancers ..

Why do we get tired inspite of hours of practice?

• on stage we are aware in the subconscious level that we cannot stop and will have to keep going however tired the body feels

• the stage lights, costume and the makeup make it more difficult to move as against the ease of the practice costume

• the dancer tries to conserve the energy in the lighter numbers hoping to perform  better in more challenging numbers

• the body is never allowed to go to the maximum level and is always pulled back, in the fear of collapsing, thereby never allowing the body to warm up and attain great level of energy and stamina

What should we do to resolve this issue?

• the first thing a dancer has to do is warm up before the show… atleast for 20 mins … enough to start sweating

• make sure to have something solid, not heavy, half an hour before the show

• do some deep breathing just before getting on stage to relax the mind

• now the most important thing is to push the energy level to the maximum in the first number, without conserving energy

• when the tiredness sets in on stage just ignore and push the body to go ahead

• The moment the body gets to the maximum level it is used to, it starts relaxing thereby allowing us to dance without being pushed

 

My dancer friends, this is something I have tried out personally and benefited ….. go ahead and try out for your next show… but beware these things work only when the body is in good form and the practice is regular…. One cannot expect miracles if we are not regular in our practice schedules …